BattlelandNational Security
Tough story in the Clarksville, Tenn., Leaf-Chronicle this morning about a soldier with PTSD who says he went AWOL, instead of returning to Afghanistan, because of the lack of mental-health services at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. “All I wanted was to be treated,” Specialist Jeff Hanks, who also served in Iraq in 2008, said outside the …
BattlelandNational Security
That’s not a boast – it’s the truth. The average Marine is younger than those in the other military services, and more likely to be a trigger-puller. Youth and weapons probably explain this rash of recent shootings at Marine targets in the Washington area, including a second fusillade at the National Museum of the Marine Corps at …
BattlelandNational Security
The Pentagon always has had an exquisite sense of timing. Take this week, for example. The U.S. military announced Wednesday it has launched a website – myfuture.com – so youngsters can learn more about military careers. “The fact is, we found existing career and/or college exploration websites not affiliated with the DoD provide …
BattlelandNational Security
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a gathering Sunday that the nation must appreciate the sacrifices its troops are making in Afghanistan and Iraq. “These years of battle have steeled them for an uncertain future, because when our men and women come home, the battle doesn’t end,” Mullen said. “Quite frankly, …
BattlelandNational Security
Careful readers note that most reporting on military suicides calls them “suspected” suicides, and for a good reason — only after a careful investigation can the authorities make a declaration that someone intentionally took his or her own life. Obviously, errors here can only add to the burden of losing a loved one.
So that’s what …
BattlelandNational Security
While the Pentagon’s top military leader spoke of a rash of weekend suicides over breakfast Wednesday, its civilian boss warned in a late afternoon talk at Duke University that the nation and its military are growing apart.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said suicides and war’s other post-combat problems are on the …
BattlelandNational Security
Remember how the Army would pretty much issue only uniforms and boots to recruits who showed up for basic training? Well, some lucky soldiers will soon be getting something extra — an iPhone or a similarly smart phone. “We actually have a pilot study going on right now where we’re issuing these things to soldiers in basic training,” …
BattlelandNational Security
Anyone who has ever spent much time hanging out around military bases in the United States knows the kind of businesses that flourish just outside the main gate: used car lots, liquor stores, tattoo parlors and other commercial enterprises that confirm the U.S. military is overwhelmingly young and male. The pawnshops, rent-to-own stores …
BattlelandNational Security
The Pentagon launched Operation New Dawn on September 1, purportedly signaling the end of combat operati0ns in Iraq after seven years. This week, those backing the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law — clearing the way for openly gay men and women to serve in the U.S. military — are pinning their hopes for their own new dawn …
BattlelandNational Security
Only one in four Americans trusts the federal government — no wonder soldiers who were “stop-lossed” into staying in uniform longer than their official enlistment period aren’t rushing to pocket the thousands of dollars they’re owed. So the government is rolling out the commander-in-chief to warn the troops the deadline for claiming …
BattlelandNational Security
The nation tends to calculate the cost of wars in blood and treasure — how many of our troops have been killed and wounded, and how much did the Treasury and taxpayer have to spend — or borrow — to prosecute the campaign. One thing a decade of fighting reveals clearly are the hidden costs of combat that only become evident as they …
BattlelandNational Security
It’s an irony the latest — and one of the biggest blows — to the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy came late Thursday in a case brought by a Republican group. The Log Cabin Republicans describe themselves as “the nation’s only organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom, and equality for gay and lesbian …
